I was born 13 April 1943 in Amsterdam, Netherlands, where I still live. I was married to Liz, and we have one son Esra.
My father and grandfather were wellknown painters; my mother was a translator and a writer. I did some acting, and I studied psychology at the Amsterdam University but since 1967, when the beginnings of my careers as a journalist and a novelist coincided, I have always made my living as a writer.
Four of my novels have been
turned into films. Spoorloos, based on my novel
Het Gouden Ei, and for which I wrote the screenplay, was Best
Dutch Film in 1988, and is still shown in the US as 'The Vanishing'. In
1993, it was remade there, also under the title 'The Vanishing.' Not as
good as the Dutch one.
My novels have been translated into 18 languages.
Apart from my novels, short stories and journalistic work, I have written many articles and a few books on chess. See my chess site.